Union Minister for Health and Sports Dr Myint Htwe held a videoconference with the relevant officials in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Sittway township of Rakhine State yesterday morning.

The COVID-19 is spreading too fast in Rakhine State and 45 new cases were reported during five days from August 16 to 21 while 44 ceases were from Sittway, confirmed the Union Minister.

The Medical Research Department will examine the gene of virus as it mutates and the ministry also cooperate with the Rakhine State government, Social Affairs Minister, Head of Public Health and Medical Service of Rakhine State to control the disease in the state and to prevent the spread of disease to other regions, highlighted the Union Minister, adding 56 nurses who finished training from Sittway Nursing and Midwifery Training School were added assignment in Rakhine State on 21 August.

Moreover, one deputy head of state public health department, three assistant doctors (anesthesiologists), one assistant doctor (medicine specialist) and another 13 assistant doctors who volunteer to go to Rakhine State will be sent by special flight together with medicines and medical equipment today.

Currently, COVID-19 testing is being conducted at Sittway General Hospital by the use of two GeneXpert machines, one pathologist and two microbiologists being temporarily assigned there.

The Sittway hospital ward will be expanded to accommodate the patients and the temporary hospitals will be also constructed only if needed, said the Union Minister.

The virus is hardly controlled in the US, Brazil, India and Bangladesh and it needs to worry for the country and so the ministry tries to carry out control measures, he said.

The ministry also instructed heads of state Public Health and Medical Service Department to conduct COVID-19 response measures systematically if other regions and states face such situation like Sittway.

The “Table-Top Exercise in preparation for effective response to possible second wave of COVID-19” was held on 13 August. Although table-top exercises are conducted for the emergency period of each hospital, the systematic responses of hospitals should be discussed for all types of natural disasters including the epidemic during the meeting.

The Union Minister focused to set methods and procedure that suit actually with our human resources, finance, medical supply and time scale; to discuss how to manage not to spread the infection to the medical staff and other patients in the hospital if a COVID-19 patient arrived to the hospital or if the infected patients arrived in groups to the hospital, and to discuss the table-top exercise with the possible scenario to meet the unexpected situations.

The Ministry will hold table-top exercises in every state and region and find out weakness and requirements in accordance with the information; as various kinds of epidemic and disaster can occur in the future and the responsible persons and experts need to do preparations that suit the actual ground condition and to update the procedures and methods of the Ministry with the suggestions from the table-top exercises that appropriates the actual ground conditions.

Deputy Minister Dr Mya Lay Sein explained the cooperation with the State Government and the Public Health Department of Rakhine State continuously for transferring medical aids.

Permanent Secretary Dr Thet Khine Win explained the expansion of treatment facilities for COVID-19 patients in Sittway General Hospital, cooperation with the State government, and related departments for public announcement.

Director-General of Public Health and Medical Services Department Dr Soe Oo explained the management of finance and human resources for health.

The rectors, head officers of the Public Health and Medical Services Departments, superintendents and professors gave suggestions in the discussion.

During the second part of the table-top exercise session, Rector of the University of Medicine (1) Professor Dr Zaw Wai Soe explained the table-top exercise and the professors from Health Departments discussed the Emergency Medicines and preparation of the hospitals during the emergency period.

The Union Minister concluded the discussion after the attendees presented the requirements and the facts found from the table-top exercise and mutual discussion on each factor.

MNA

(Translated by Khine Thazin Han and Ei Phyu Phyu Aung)

Photo: MNA

#The Global New Light of Myanmar